Thieving Nargles
by Socratic Lemurs
Summary: Harry gets out of detention in fifth year, only to run into someone unexpected. Harry/Luna. Year 5. R
1. An Unexpected Encounter

Harry Potter's fifth year wasn't going so well. After a particularly nasty bout with Professor Umbridge, he was wandering the halls. He was aware that it was well past curfew, but his searing rage towards the toad-like woman, combined with the equally searing pain in his hand where a fresh set of scars traced a bloody "I will not tell lies" in his own handwriting, distracted him too much to care.

He wasn't sure where exactly he was going, but for some reason he felt like he had to keep moving. As his aimless wandering continued, Harry began to think back on his time at Hogwarts. In his first year, he had discovered and become mildly obsessed with the Mirror of Erised, which he only now realized in retrospect was "Desire" spelled backwards. He chuckled slightly at the epiphany, and then went back to his thoughts. The discovery of the mirror inadvertently led to his acquisition of the prized, ruby red gem that could grant eternal life, as well as his first triumph over the Dark Lord, Voldemort. In year two, he snuck into the girls' bathroom twice, met a large snake, and once again vanquished the evil being, this time a rather stalker-ish version that existed within the Evil Diary of Tom Riddle and possessed little gingers for fun. In 3rd year, he mastered a patronus spell, which many adults could not correctly conjure, to the point that he fended off several hundred dementors. Then again, he was also so convinced it was his father casting the spell that he nearly committed assisted suicide by letting them nearly destroy his godfather's and his own souls. Moving on, fourth year Harry fought a dragon, mermaids, and even Moldy Shorts himself.

And yet, here he was, completely stumped by the toad-faced, repulsive Professor Umbridge.

Suddenly it dawned on him that, despite all of the talk the Gryffindor boys had of the opposite sex, he had never really had time to consider them. He had sort of had a thing for Cho Chang, but that had gone sour relatively quickly. He wondered if there were any girls at school who were interested in him, and who he found likeable, or at the very least bearable.

In his contemplation, he began to forget about his surroundings, and just as he did so, ran directly into something and fell, landing on top of it.

Falling immediately out of his dazed state, he recognized the obstacle. "Hello, Luna. Sorry about that."

Luna Lovegood cheerfully responded, "Not a problem, Harry. I know how the nargles get. However, If you'd please get off of me, I'd very much appreciate it."

Harry suddenly became painfully aware of the fact that he had not removed himself from her. He instantly shot up, and proceeded to help her to her feet. "What are you doing out this late at night, Luna?"

The girl looked absentmindedly around, "Well my things have gone missing again, and the password to the Ravenclaw common room seems to have changed without my knowledge."

"That's terrible."

"Which part?"

"Both, really."

"Oh, it's not so bad. After all, it's nice to see the castle at night. It's so peaceful and quiet. Plus, I haven't had much time to speak with you outside of the meetings. It's really not a bad situation all around."

Harry was a bit thrown off by her infallibly optimistic outlook on everything. "I suppose if you look at it that way it doesn't seem so bad."

"Everything's just about perspective, Harry. The world seems a lot bigger to a nargle than it does to an elephant."

"That's logical, I guess."

"Well I _am_ a Ravenclaw, Harry." The blonde giggled.

"True."

"So what are you doing in the courtyard tonight?"

For the first time since the conversation started, Harry looked at his surroundings. He was indeed in the walkway surrounding the courtyard. He was astonished that his thoughts had carried him so far. "I'm not really sure. Just felt like walking, I suppose."

"Walking is quite nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm going to try to find my things. I'll see you at the next meeting, Harry!" The fourth year turned and began to walk away.

Harry only considered his next thought for about half of a second. "Wait, Luna!" When she turned around, he asked "Want some help?"

Luna Lovegood was positively beaming. Her next words came out jumbled and slurred. "Of-course-I-would-Harry-how-nice-of-you-are-you-sure-I-mean-I-know-I'm-a-bit-odd-and-I-don't-like-to-bother-people...

Harry couldn't help but smile. "Absolutely. I'd rather not go back to the common room tonight anyway. If you would, slow down a bit, though."

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry. Are you sure I'm not bothering you?" Luna looked down sheepishly.

"Not at all."

"Then let us go onward, Harry Potter."

"Lead the way."

The first place the duo checked was the library. They split up in order to search more efficiently, but Harry regretted it when he heard a loud crash. He rushed to the source of the sound to find Luna lying under a pile of books, reading one.

Harry simply shook his head. "What happened here?" He whispered.

"I was climbing the shelves to get this from the top, when I slipped, and these came down with me."

He helped her up, and soon after it became apparent that he wasn't the only one who had heard the crash. The library door creaked with urgency, followed by the quick footsteps a person who could not be anyone other than Mr. Filch. Harry quickly grabbed Luna and pulled her around a corner to hide. He led her to a sort of alcove in the bookshelves that could effectively hide them from Filch. Unfortunately, the alcove was rather small. He motioned for Luna to stay quiet, and tried to figure out why his heart was beating so hard. In his years at Hogwarts, the biggest threat he had faced was hardly Argus Filch, the rather disturbingly violent caretaker of the castle.

They stood there, absolutely still, until Filch left. They each let out the breath that neither of them realized was being held, and Luna attempted to step away from the alcove. Her foot caught Harry's ankle, and for the second time that night, they fell. Luna hit the ground at a bad angle, with Harry on top of her. He remembered to get off, and offered to help her up. She didn't move. Harry knelt next to her and felt for a pulse. Luckily, he found one. The problem of her consciousness was still there, though. He lifted her up gently and carried her out of the library, down the hall, which seemed much longer than it had on the way in, down a flight of stairs to the third floor, and straight to the Hospital Wing.

* * *

When Luna Lovegood woke up in the Hospital Wing, the last thing she remembered was having great fun in the library with Harry Potter.

"Of course, it was a dream." Now it all made sense. She had hit her head on something, dreamed about a night with the leader of Dumbledore's Army, and just now woken from it. There was no other explanation. Harry had always been polite to her, but she still got the same feeling from him as she did from everyone else. He thought she was too odd. He couldn't possibly have actually enjoyed time with her. She told Madam Pomfrey that she was quite alright and left the Hospital Wing. She was on her way to begin to look for her things when she reached into her pocket and felt something. She took it out, to find that it was a scrap of parchment with a note written on it in unmistakable handwriting.

_Luna,_

_Sorry about falling on you twice, and I hope you don't suffer any permanent damage. That said, I had fun, and should you find yourself searching for your things again, I'm usually in the room of requirement at around 8:00. Enjoy your reading, and I'll see you at the meeting today._

_H.P._

Luna's head was spinning. Well, it was spinning more than usual. It was all real? Last night actually happened? Harry Potter had actually chosen to spend time with her, rather than go back and be with the Gryffindors? What in the world was going on? Not only that, he had enjoyed it? No one enjoyed spending time with her, with the possible exception of Ginny, least of all Harry Potter. Maybe she was reading too much into this. Maybe it's nothing.

Luna couldn't focus on anything for the rest of the day. Even at the D.A. meeting- no, especially at the meeting. No matter how much she tried to focus on the spell at hand, or the mirrors on the walls, she couldn't stop her thoughts from coming to rest on Harry Potter. It was maddening. She had never had this much of her attention diverted to anything before. It inhibited her thought process. She couldn't see how anyone ever got anything done while focusing on something. Suddenly, she heard Justin, her dueling partner, shout, "Expelliarmus!"

She barely had time to deflect it with a quick "Protego!" Then she decided to go on the offensive and cast a rapid barrage of too many jinxes to name. She was ruthlessly tearing down his defense when she realized the rest of the army was watching her, including Harry. She faltered, then stopped, blushing. She hoped Justin wasn't embarrassed.

Quite to the contrary, her partner cried out, "That was bloody brilliant!" The rest of the army muttered a chorus of grudging respect for Luna's surprising proficiency.

Luna, however, was still embarrassed. She looked down and fled the room.

* * *

Harry was startled by Luna's boldness, and then when she ran out of the room, he was mortified. However, he couldn't stop teaching. He continued the day's practice, helping people where necessary, but not completely focused on the task, either.

When the clock struck ten, Harry had given up on waiting and was doing homework in the peace and quiet of the room that had become one of his favorite places in the castle, and he heard the door open. Luna walked in and sat on the floor.

"Hello, Harry."

"Hi, Luna. I trust you read the note, then?"

"Yes, I read it, and found it rather delightful."

"Thank you. I take it, then, that you haven't found your things yet?"

"Not yet, but that's not actually why I'm here."

"Oh? Then what can I help you with?"

"I just wanted to apologize for what happened at the meeting today. I could have really hurt Justin, and then to run away like that."

"Luna, if Justin had been hurt, Hermione would know how to fix it. About the running out, we all get embarrassed sometimes. You're not used to the spotlight, and that's understandable. What matters is that you show up at the next meeting ready to go."

"Alright, Harry. Thank you."

"Any time, Luna. Anything else?"

"Not specifically, but would you mind if I stayed here a while?"

"If you'd like."

"You wouldn't be bothered by me?"

"Not at all. I had actually just finished my homework."

"Ah, alright then." As she spoke, Harry moved to sit next to her. "Have you received this month's Quibbler?"

"No, actually, I haven't."

"Pity. There was a rather interesting bit about the origin of the modern nargle."

"I've always been curious, Luna. How is it that nargles work?"

Luna was taken aback. At first she thought he was patronizing her. No one ever actually wanted to know about nargles. Then she saw it. The look in his eyes told her that he knew how it felt to have no one believe you about something.

"Well they're actually quite fascinating when they aren't stealing your things. As I've told you, they live in mistletoe. They're mischievous little things that like to mess with people. My necklace and earrings are charmed to keep them away from me. Perhaps you could borrow them one day. Well, maybe not the earrings, but the necklace. Ooh, better yet, I could make you one, if you want. Would you like..."

Harry waited a long time for her to finish her sentence before realizing that she was leaning on him and her breathing had evened out. He looked at the clock. Was it really already ten thirty? It looked as though he would be staying in the room of requirement for the night. Ah, well. It wasn't unusual. Granted, Luna being there was. He laid her down and conjured a pillow and blanket for each of them. After doing so, he lay next to her and settled in for a good night's sleep. It looked like fifth year might have turned around.

* * *

**Alright guys, how do you like it so far? Tell me in a review!**


	2. Battle Royale

**Alright, guys, I'm back with the second installment. AJ, I should have fixed the discrepancies you mentioned in your review now, thanks for pointing them out. Moving on, It occurs to me that I never wrote a disclaimer, so without further ado:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Slavery is wrong.**

* * *

Harry slowly opened his eyes, saw the sleeping form of Luna Lovegood next to him, and couldn't hold back a smile. She was so cute when she was sleeping.

Whoa, wait a minute. Where did that come from? Cute? Harry liked Luna and all, but cute had never been the first thing that came to mind when he saw her. He must have spent too much time on homework last night, and it was just affecting the thought capacity of his waking mind.

He checked the clock: nine thirty! Breakfast ended thirty minutes ago, and classes had already started! He jumped from where he was lying, woke Luna and began to rush from the room.

Luna slowly sat up, then groggily rubbed her large, thoughtful eyes, before asking, "What's your hurry, Harry?"

"Luna, it's nine thirty! Class started already!"

Luna giggled hysterically, earning a confused and impatient look from the Boy Who Lived. "It's okay, Harry, I know how the wrackspurts are. It's Saturday."

Harry contemplated what had just been said. Saturday. That would explain why his various charms didn't wake him up. Suddenly, he felt rather a fool. He blushed bright red. "I'm sorry, Luna. You can go back to sleep if you'd like."

"No, that's quite all right, Harry Potter. I believe now is a nice time to wake up, and anyway, you've provided me with more than enough amusement to make up for it."At this, Harry, still blushing, began to make for the door. "I don't believe it. The great Harry Potter, leaving a poor girl alone in a room after spending the night with her?"

Harry couldn't think straight to save his life. "Well, I... you... I mean... it's not..."

"Oh, dear, Harry, it seems the wrackspurts have got you worse than you thought.

Harry tried to coherently formulate his thoughts. He knew Luna was kidding about the whole "spending the night with her" thing, but that didn't make the comment any less confusing. He had planned to spend the night in the room regardless, hadn't he? She just happened to come in and fall asleep, so he let her stay as well. Yes, that must have been it. But then, what was making him so unable to talk right now? Could Luna be onto something with her wrackspurt theory? It seemed the only pseudo-logical option.

Luna Lovegood yawned, and Harry suddenly knew why he couldn't speak.

He walked over to the little blonde girl, sat next to her, and simply said, "Merlin, Luna," before laying down and going back to sleep.

* * *

Luna smiled sweetly at Harry's once again sleeping body before gingerly getting up and exiting the room without a noise. She had teased him about the whole affair, but the entire time her mind was reeling. Had Harry Potter really been willing to sleep next to her? Why was he so kind to her, when all of the others just called her names and made fun of her? Why was it that the most famous boy in the magical world also the only one who could stand to sit down and listen to her talk? Most importantly, though, why was she becoming more and more fixated on Harry Potter?

Luna went to the only person she could talk to about things like this. She found Ginny Weasley with her latest boyfriend. Luna had long since ceased trying to keep track of them. She asked to speak with Ginny privately, much to the annoyance of the boy trying to snog her. "Sorry about this," Luna said when they were alone.

"Don't worry about it, Luna. I'm getting a bit bored of him anyway. What is it you wanted to talk about?"

And so Luna proceeded to relate the happenings of the last two days as best she could remember them. As it happened, she remembered them quite well.

"Luna, that's so sweet!" Though behind the redhead's eyes, Luna detected a hint of jealousy, she appeared to be sincere. "You must understand how ironic it is, though? You finally fall in love and it's with Harry bloody Potter!"

"L-love? Who said anything about me falling in love?"

"Please, Luna. No one had to say anything. The look on your face when you came to talk to me, the way you talk about it, the way you look when you talk about him. You're in love with the Chosen One, Luna Lovegood."

Luna was redder than the radishes decorating her ears. "Don't be ridiculous Ginny! After all, I've only really been talking to him for a couple days!"

"Suit yourself, but when you figure it out, feel free to talk to me about it."

Rather than respond, Luna simply turned around and sped away in her embarrassment. Love? It was a word almost foreign to the normally aloof girl. She loved her father, and she had loved her mother, and she loved the few friends she had, but love in the hand-holding, kissing, chocolates-on-Valentine's-day sort of way? No, of course not. She had never loved anyone in that sense, and didn't intend to start now. Even if she was going to fall in love, she was in Ravenclaw, and simple logic should have turned her away from Harry Potter. He was probably the closest thing to doomed anyone in this school could be, now that You-Know-Who was back. Any feelings for him were just as doomed to end in hurt if the worst happened. And yet...

Even though no one believed him about You-Know-Who, Harry was strong, unwavering, and determined to prove that the Dark Lord was back. He endured torture from Umbridge on a daily basis, refused to stand by while others were harmed, and had defeated He Who Must Not Be Named at every turn.

The risk factor wasn't the only thing, though. Harry Potter was the Boy Who Lived, Slayer of Basilisks, Defender of Hogwarts, Tri-Wizard Champion, leader of Dumbledore's Army. He had girls fawning all over him all the time. What would he want with some odd little off-her-rocker fourth year who reads the quibbler upside down, is fascinated and fixated on creatures that few people believe are real, has a tendency to state the truth in a blunt way that makes everything awkward, and is consistently and not unjustifiably called "Looney"? But...

The fact remained that, while he was all of this, and while she was all of that, he was never unkind to her, and was honestly the closest thing she had to someone she could confide everything to. Sure, Ginny was nice enough, but behind it all, she saw Luna the same way everyone else did. Harry was different. He never referred to her as Looney, not because he was kind enough not to, but because he didn't think she was. He always listened to her stories about nargles and wrackspurts and all manner of other creatures no one believed in, with interest. Even if he didn't necessarily believe in them, he knew she did. No matter what, she could count on him to take her seriously, even when she seemed her most absent-minded.

Wait, what was she thinking about? Why was she starting to feel strange? Luna rushed to the Ravenclaw girls' dormitory, laid on her bed, and tried to focus. "The wrackspurts must be getting worse," she mumbled aloud to no one in particular.

* * *

Harry awoke several hours later to find the rest of the Room of Requirement void of life, particularly Luna's. When he finished searching the room and found no trace of her, his mood was visibly dampened.

Why did it matter that she's gone? She was probably only here looking for her things when she fell asleep last night anyway. Luna Lovegood couldn't possibly have any interest in him, anyway. She was completely oblivious.

Wait, that's the wrong train of thought. He didn't have any interest in her, either. She was nice and all, but she was just a bit too... out there.

No, that wasn't the problem. He had always liked listening to her talk about that sort of thing. So if it wasn't that, what could it have been? He didn't have time to think about it. The D.A. was holding a long meeting today. People seemed to only be getting more interested in learning once they got better.

He left the room for a quick stretch and reentered it to find himself surrounded by the people who decided to arrive early. He smiled at them. No one except him knew what the lesson for today was, and he had a feeling it was going to be a fun one to watch.

Once everyone he thought was coming had arrived, he stood in front of the group. He spotted Luna and quickly looked away as she smiled at him sheepishly, in order to keep his composure. He spoke loudly and clearly. "Alright, guys, everyone's been doing really well-"

He was cut off by a chorus of "It's all thanks to you, Harry" and "You're a great teacher, Harry!" along with some other compliments, mixed with insults directed at Umbridge.

"Okay, okay. Listen up. As I was saying, you're doing well. However, up until now, most of your work has been done with a partner. While one on one dueling is good and productive and all, it doesn't quite recreate a real battle. Today, we're going to have a Battle Royale." At this, everyone was either elated or downcast. "There are some rules. The only spells allowed are stuns and shields. Once you're hit, you're out. Other than that, it's a free for all. Last one standing wins."

"Alright, Harry, so when does it start?" came an unfamiliar voice.

Harry smiled. "Now."

Instantly, people began to duel. Fred and George were on each other in an instant, and within thirty seconds had managed to both stun each other in a comical way that could only be their style. Ron and Hermione went at it for about ten seconds before Ron was on his back on the floor. Hermione just smiled and looked for a new opponent. Cho, who hadn't been paying much attention at meetings of late, was doing miserably against Nigel, who took her down swiftly just before being blown aside by a skillful shot from Hermione, who seemed to be avoiding the dueling aspect altogether and taking on a more assassin-esque approach. Luna was being quite unfairly triple teamed by Nevile, Dean, and Seamus. As much as Harry wanted to intervene, she seemed to be doing rather well. She defended with ease and then picked them off one by one until it was just her and Dean, then she let fly a salvo of stuns that ended up taking around five or six people out, including Dean. Harry shifted his gaze. The main two in the battle right now were definitely Hermione and Luna. Hermione was taking people out left and right without actually engaging them, while Luna appeared to simply be firing randomly and hitting whoever was there to hit. Things went on like this for another couple of hours. Eventually, it was narrowed down to just those two. Harry was interested to see which of the two unorthodox strategies would win out. It took about an hour, but eventually Hermione's calculated, precise shots outdid Luna's wall of spells. Luna was beaten, but she looked like she had just had the time of her life, and Harry noticed that her gaze kept moving to him. He decided to do some authoritative speaking.

"That was brilliant, all of you. Really, outstanding work. But now do you see how a battle is different from a duel? In a duel, it's you and your opponent, head to head, focused. In a battle, everyone is your enemy, and anyone could attack you from anywhere. You can't afford to get hung up and only pay attention to one person. You've got to look at the big picture."

The voice that could not belong to anyone but the Weasley twins spoke up, "Hey, Harry, how come you didn't participate? Why don't you have to fight?"

"Well, I... er..."

Now more people joined in, "Yeah, Harry, we've never seen you fight. If you won't show us how you do it, how can we be expected to learn? At the very least, Hermione deserves a reward for her victory."

Harry had to admit, they made some valid points. "This okay with you, Hermione?"

"Only if you agree not to hold back. If you do, I'll beat you."

Harry chuckled. "We'll see."

They stood opposite from each other, and the crowd took shape around them. Hermione started off with a resounding _"Stupefy!" _The shot glanced off of Harry's shield like nothing. She shot a few more at him, which he promptly blocked. He shot a few stuns in the general area of her head, to make it seem as if he were trying. She knew better, though, and grew angry. She began to yell between spells that ever increased in power.

"Harry. Potter. I. Told. You. Not. To. Hold. Back!"

The last shot didn't break his shield, but he was knocked off balance for a moment. That was all Hermione needed. She cast one last spell, aimed directly at his chest...

Suddenly, the image of Luna Lovegood shooting numerous stuns from the tip of her wand burst into Harry's mind.

_"Protego!"_ At the last possible second, the spell was deflected harmlessly. Hermione's smile disappeared. "You want me to stop holding back? Get ready, Hermione." He released a barrage of stuns the likes of which Hogwarts had never seen. It was as if a new, bright red pillar had been constructed in the middle of the room. Hermione went pale, but threw up a shield nonetheless.

"Ha. You'll have to do better than that, Har-"

She never saw the stun that lagged behind the rest of them. In a second, she was down. Harry walked over and helped her up, while the rest of the DA stood in awe.

"Guys, Hermione and I both showed you an example of what not to do. You never let yourself think you can go easy on an opponent. Always use your full force. You also never let your guard down, because Death Eaters have worse tricks than I do, with much nastier spells. Good job, everyone. I think we're done for the day. See you at the next meeting."

Everyone left the room, and Harry leaned on a wall, sinking to the ground. He sat there and started to think. That seemed to be a lot of what he did these days. Sit in the Room of Requirement and think. Hell, he barely left the room at all, barring going to his classes. He asked himself why that picture of Luna popped into his head. When he couldn't find an answer he liked, he asked why it made him want to fight so much. He ran through the possibilities in his head, and kept settling on one answer. Finally, he decided that it had simply given him the idea for his net attack, and left it at that.

He checked the time. Five thirty. It had been quite an eventful day so far.


	3. Quidditch

**A/N: Hey guys. Time for an update. I don't quite know how this chapter is going to play out yet, so I guess we'll see.**

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood, any other characters depicted, or any part of the Harry Potter franchise. Never have, never will.**

* * *

Harry Potter found himself unable to focus on anything. Ever since the duel with Hermione, all he could think about was Luna bloody Lovegood. First, after the meeting, He had tried to do a bit of Charms homework. When he looked at the parchment, all he could think was that Luna would know exactly how to do it. He figured she could finish the assignment on "The Color Change charm and its usefulness for smuggling illegal objects" in around five minutes flat. He briefly considered asking her for help, then violently shook the thought from his mind and went to Hermione instead.

The next few days went by much the same. In Transfiguration everything he changed into a mammal seemed to match the straw color of Luna's hair. In Potions, all of his concoctions turned the same blue as her eyes. In DADA, Umbridge seemed much less of a problem, because he was constantly daydreaming. His flying was becoming perfectly graceful, rather than the jerky, anything-to-catch-the-snitch style he usually followed. Once, he even cast a Patronus that took the form of a rabbit. Upon realization of this, he hurriedly dispersed the charm and looked around. Much to his relief, no one had been around to see it.

Nobody else seemed to catch on to what was going on with Harry, either. Hermione was always busy with schoolwork, and Ron was... well, he was Ron. Once, the Weasley boy had mentioned something about Harry seeming distracted, and asked if he was daydreaming. However, he seemed to be under the impression that the daydreams were about his little sister, Ginny, who had had a crush on Harry for some time.

Harry couldn't figure out what to do with himself.

* * *

Luna was experiencing the other side of the spectrum. She was constantly, and rather annoyingly, focused. However, she was nearly always focused on Harry Potter. Her marks in classes went up higher, if that was even possible. When she needed to do something, the image of Harry Potter standing next to her, helping her through it was always there.

She couldn't read the _Quibbler_ anymore, because there was always something about Harry in it, and more thoughts of Harry were the last thing she needed. She had much the same problem with the _Prophet, _though for a different reason. She couldn't stand to read the harmful, and sometimes downright outrageous things in that paper. A great example of both would have to be the headline from two days ago, "_Potter Spotted Entering Rancid Goblin Brothel."_ Even if Harry could leave Hogwarts, why would he go to a _goblin_ _brothel _of all places? Even with all of the rubbish circulating about him, Harry had no shortage of admirers at school, if he wanted that sort of attention. Moreover, why would he want that sort of attention from a goblin? Even goblins don't want that sort of attention from a goblin!

For some reason, the thought of Harry's many admirers made Luna feel a strange tugging sensation within herself, so she let the rant die off. She hated it when she thought about Harry, because once she started, she couldn't stop. The untidiness of his jet black hair, which gave him a sort of permanent bedhead look and was so adorable. The bright green eyes that made it so easy for one to get lost while looking into them. The look of determination in those same bright green eyes when he became Harry the unbelievably powerful wizard instead of Harry the unwaveringly loyal friend.

Harry hadn't met Luna until this year, but between her father and everyone at Hogwarts, Luna had been forced to keep up with his legacy. He had grown in more than just his physical appearance. He had gone from the innocent boy who accidentally stopped an enemy who had cheated death itself in his first year, to being the boy that would go to any lengths to help a friend, including using the Sword of Gryffindor to slay a basilisk in year two, to being a lost, helpless teenager looking for revenge against his parents' traitor in year three, to a determined, if a bit dejected Tri-Wizard Champion the next year, to even being the _real_ Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, while still being a student himself, this year. It wasn't hard to know what others saw in Harry, but it was also not the same thing Luna saw in him.

As Harry was lost in his contemplation of what to do with himself, Luna Lovegood came to a stunning realization that made her blush a deep red.

* * *

Harry had managed to shake the thoughts of Luna out of his head before the Quidditch Match. Gryffindor was playing Hufflepuff, and their new Seeker, Summerby, was every bit as good as Cedric had been. Harry needed to be on his toes if he was going to catch the snitch first.

As the teams walked onto the pitch, there was an air of frivolity that hadn't been present in much of anything Harry had done all year. He was about to play Quidditch, and he was going to forget about everything. He wouldn't have to feel the stinging from the scars on his hand. He wouldn't have to feel the eyes of the many people who despised him watching his every turn. He wouldn't have to feel the pressure of all that had happened so far this year. He wouldn't be the Boy Who Lived. He wouldn't be the Tri-Wizard Champion. He wouldn't even be the head of Dumbledore's Army. He would simply be Harry. He'd be free of all of the labels. It would just be him, his Firebolt, and the snitch. There would be no thoughts of anyone, including Luna Lovegood.

Luna. Even the name felt a bit odd. Simply rolled off the tongue in a strange way. At the same time, though, the name was nice. It brought to mind the feeling of floating on air. Not the same as flying: there was no adrenaline. No, it was more like being uniquely relaxed. That simple name made Harry feel as though he could simply lay back and go where things take him. The more he thought about her name, the more he realized he was describing her personality. Laid back, open minded, willing to just go with whatever happens, and even a bit off, but in a charming way.

Harry was suddenly yanked from his thoughts at the shriek of Madam Hooch's whistle. Instantly, a blurred mass of yellow and red shot from the ground. Harry himself had long since learned to leave the Quaffle to the chasers and the Bludgers to Fred and George. He zoomed away from the action to search for he snitch.

* * *

Luna wasn't normally one for Quidditch matches, but this was a bit of a special exception. The fact that she even knew there was a match was a bit of a stroke of luck. Luna had been on her way to the Ravenclaw common room when she bumped into Ron and Hermione, on their way to the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff game. They had invited her along, and she readily accepted, eager for the chance to see Harry, and to congratulate him when Gryffindor inevitably won.

And so it was that Luna came to be sitting in the front row of the Gryffindor side of the stands, watching as a blur of red and gold erupted from the ground. She nearly immediately zeroed in on Harry, which wasn't very hard considering he broke away from the rest of the team almost as quickly as a nargle escaping to its mistletoe.

She watched as Harry skirted the edges of the pitch, making wide turns in his startlingly casual search for the snitch. Luna couldn't help but notice that, while the others were flying, Harry _flew._ He moved with such elegance and ease that it seemed as though being a seeker was the easiest thing in the world, and when you considered what Harry had been through in the last four years alone, it probably was, to him. It seemed as though the snitch was particularly difficult to find today, because he was still moving lazily about.

When she looked at Summerby, however, she saw a completely different character. Summerby was zigging and zagging around like he was full of wrackspurts. It was evident, however, that he had not yet found the snitch either. His movements were erratic, and he mostly circled around one location.

Point after point was scored. Ten points for Gryffindor. Ten points for Hufflepuff. Another ten for Gryffindor. It seemed to go on forever. The score was Gryffindor's one hundred twenty to Hufflepuff's one hundred thirty when she saw it.

There was a flicker of movement, and Harry was gone.

* * *

Harry couldn't help but think about how much he loved his Firebolt as he zoomed after the snitch. Summerby caught on instantly, of course, and it became a neck and neck race for the tiny golden ball. They bumped into each other several times, though without real malice. Summerby made a lunge for the snitch, missed, and his momentum turned him upside down on his broom. Harry seized the opportunity, and with a sudden burst of speed just about caught up to the snitch. He reached out as far as he could, then reached out a little farther... and the snitch veered left.

Harry turned as well, but it was too late. The snitch was far ahead, the moment lost. He began to head after it again, and saw Summerby closing on it. Harry, though, was never one to give up. He put as much speed as he possibly could into the chase on his Firebolt, and some people in the stands swear that he disappeared for a fraction of a second. at the end of that split second, he reached out and grabbed the snitch, just as the opposing seeker's hand was closing around it.

What Harry hadn't accounted for was Summerby's momentum. The two crashed into one another, and Harry caught the worst of it, sent flying from his broom. He fell towards the stands, and right at... wait, no. It couldn't possibly be...

* * *

Luna's already wide eyes widened even more when she saw Harry Potter falling directly towards her. She could't think straight. What was happening? Why was he falling towards her? Was this some sort of cruel joke by fate? Suddenly, she realized how close he was coming to landing on her and possibly killing them both. She snapped out of her thoughts, raised her wand, and shouted, _"Aresto Momentum!"_

Such is how Luna and Harry came face to face, inches away from each other, during a Quidditch released Harry from the spell, then blushed as he fell onto her. He thanked her sheepishly, then summoned his broom, jumped on, and held up the snitch. Gryffindor had won the match.

* * *

As Harry and the rest of the team, along with some others, celebrated in the common room, he couldn't focus on the party, nor on the victory. Harry couldn't stop thinking about Luna Lovegood.

When he had come within inches of her, staring into her eyes he felt like he was at home. He longed for the feeling. He wanted to feel that way all the time. He couldn't make heads or tails of what the bloody feeling was, though. Some combination of belonging, yearning, being lost, and about fifty other feelings. He had no idea what to call it. He had no idea why he felt it. In fact, the only thing he knew about it was that he wanted more.

Suddenly, something clicked in Harry's mind, and he came to a realization that made his head spin.

Harry Potter quietly spoke to no one in particular. "I am in love with Luna Lovegood. Must be wrackspurt season."

* * *

**A/N: Alright, sorry about the wait, guys, but I just couldn't seem to figure out how I was going to do this chapter right after the match started. It's hee now, and I hope to update more frequently from now on. As always, thanks for the support of my reviewers.**


	4. Finale?

**Alright, little change in pace here. Sorry for the long wait.**

* * *

Harry was faced with A dilemma. He had been spending more and more time with Luna, and that time had led him to the conclusion that he had not just been spouting rubbish when he realized he had feelings for her. The problem , though, was indeed a great one: should he try to go any further? His short time dating Cho Chang hadn't exactly gone well. He decided to explore further, and hit another wall. If he did decide to take it further, the obvious way to do so would be to tell Luna about his feelings. There was the rub, though, as Mad-Eye would put it. How do you talk someone like Luna about that sort of thing. In all the time Harry had spent with her, she never once mentioned ever having feelings like that towards anyone, not even a childhood celebrity crush.

He had been thinking about this subject periodically since the party, three months ago, when he realized his feelings. At first, it was not such an easy thing to think about. He went into denial. He refused to be in love with Luna. It wasn't because he disliked her. In fact, on the contrary, he felt as though he liked her too much to submit her to the inevitable pain that was his affection. this continued for about two weeks, then he had a conversation with Ron.

-_Flashback-_

"Harry! Wait up!" came the unmistakable voice of the youngest Weasley brother from down the corridor. When finally Ron caught up with Harry, the Ginger was panting like a dog.

"Yeah, Ron?" Harry wasn't really in the mood for the type of conversation Ron usually provided, but tried to keep it out of his voice.

"Well, I've been thinkin', and I dunno what the hell I should do about this whole Hermione thing. I was hoping you could help."

"Hermione thing?" Harry was genuinely baffled.

"Well, yeah. I mean, don't tell me you never figured out I've got the hots for her?"

"No, Ron, I was actually under the impression you still thought Girls were yucky." Harry laughed.

"Cut it out! I'm serious!" The redhead's face now matched the hue of his hair. "Problem is, I think I'd be terrible for her, if for some bloody reason she said yes. I don't think it's a very good idea for me to have feelings for her, for her sake."

Harry got serious, as it appeared his friend was having real trouble with this. "So you're telling me that you don't want to like her because you like her so much?" Thus a daunting realization hit Harry of a parallel issue that this statement reflected.

"Well, erm, when you put it out plain like that, it sounds silly."

"Ron, it's no use trying to suppress how you feel. It messes with your magic."

"Alright, alright. Thanks, Harry."

-_End Flashback-_

Harry looked out his window, saw how late it had gotten, sighed, and resolved to re-approach the topic another time. He lay in his bed, drifting ever so slowly into the realm of dreams.

* * *

Luna had been sent reeling after the match, but soon chalked it up to a cruel joke fate had played on her. Nevertheless, she was still hopelessly smitten with Harry. She had briefly considered that maybe, with school ending soon and all, she'd be able to move on over the summer. She realized just about instantaneously, however, that she was being a bit too hopeful. She wasn't just some fangirl who'd move on from her celebrity crush and find someone else. She was, for better or worse, hopelessly in love with Harry Potter.

Tonight, Luna was feeding the Thestrals. She looked up at the star filled night sky with childish awe, as she had done do many nights before this one. She had always a fascination with the stars, which was not quelled even by Professor Firenze's very factual explanations of their deepest inner workings. Tonight was different, though. Tonight she could feel, through some romantic instinct, that Harry was staring at the same sky as she was.

Luna tossed her last scrap of raw meat to a young Thestral and began to head back up to the school.

* * *

"Sirius!"

Harry awoke with a start. That dream... couldn't have been real, could it? No, it couldn't. Then again, What if it was?

He didn't have time to contemplate. After the incident with Mr. Weasley, he couldn't afford to take the chance. As he rushed out of the dormitory and into the common room, He was confronted by Ron and Hermione. Unable to come up with a satisfactory lie, He was forced to tell them the truth of his intentions. He was in too much of a rush to argue when they said they were coming with him, and frankly he was glad of the help.

On the way to Umbridge's office, Harry ran into the one person he didn't want to have to tall about this...

* * *

Luna had been up all morning, and decided that the best course of action was to simply tell Harry how she felt. Upon making this decision, she had hurried out of the Common room to head towards Harry. Of course, she had not planned out a route to Gryffindor Tower, and thus became quite lost. It seemed, however that fate was in her favor as she rounded a corner near the Headmaster's office only to run into Harry Potter himself.

Her raised hopes were soon dashed, though, as one look at Harry's expression told her this was not the time to divulge that she had feelings for him.

* * *

**Hi guys. I know it's been a while and I know this is short, but I cannot seem to find the same joy in writing this that I used to. Rest assured, I will finish. This is only half of this chapter, and once I finish, which will hopefully be soon, I'll update it with the rest. this will likely be the last chapter. Sorry!**


End file.
